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How to Replace Glass in a Single-Pane Window in a Basement

So you want to save money on Glass Repair Services. Whether you’re just looking for a modern upgrade or if there is a dangerous break, it’s important that replacing the glass in your windowpane is a task best completed in a timely and safe manner, with emphasis on safe! We strongly recommend you consult a professional if you have any doubts in your own ability to replace the glass. Even if you feel confident enough, remember to wear heavy-duty work gloves, safety glasses, sturdy boots, and a helmet or hard hat. Set up a mat underneath the window to contain any stray shards, and if you can get a good grip, use a towel to hold the glass edges so you’re not risking any lacerations to your palms. Now that you’re ready, let’s break it down:

Glass Replacement Step 1

First, remove any and all broken glass. Dispose carefully in a sealed container. Use slow, controlled, steady movements, and understand that those edges are sharp!
If you do not already have your replacement glass pane, measure the size of the opening of the window as exactly as possible. Some glass companies will expect you to subtract 1/8 of an inch when placing an order, so keep that in mind.
If the window frame is made of metal or of vinyl, use pliers or a screwdriver to remove the sling splines or spring clips, depending on the frame. Insert the replacement glass and reattach the splines or clips, replacing them if they are old or damaged.

Put in the Fixed Glass Step 2

All done! Pat yourself on the back for being so brave and strong.
If the window frame is made of wood, this requires a bit more maintenance. Use a chisel or a putty knife to carefully remove old putty, and use pliers or a glazing tool to remove the metal spikes beneath the putty in the corners of the frame. Gently sand the frame and apply a coat of linseed oil or similar woodworking oil before applying a thin layer glazing compound all around the frame. Press the new glass into the frame, and while it is held in place, insert the metal points back into the corners, and drive new ones into the wood every few inches all around the glass. Then, take a long, thin strip of glazing compound and push it into place around the edges into the space between the frame and the new pane. Smooth it out with the blade of the glazing tool, and you’re done! Just let the compound sit for a week before painting or messing with the frame any further.

Single Pane Complete Window Glass Repair

How did you do? Do you have a generations-old family secret regarding the best way to replace a single-pane window? Are you feeling proud of yourself? We’re definitely happy for you! All it takes is some patience and elbow grease, but it’s not an especially complicated job. Just remember to keep the kids out of the way – your glazing tools are not toys! And again, if you ever feel like it’s too much, call up a professional. Don’t risk your health and safety for a window. Good luck!

Kitchen Remodel Ideas for this years top trends

Looking to redo your kitchen but you don’t know where to start? Look no further! We’ve put together a short guide of ideas for you to play around with. If you pay attention to the following focal areas and put your own unique spin on them, your old outdated kitchen will be looking brand new in no time! Have this information ready when calling a local kitchen remodeling company near you.

Appliance kitchen remodel ideas

This should be your first priority since the appliances control how you handle and prepare your food. Luckily, they come in all sorts of different styles, often without breaking your budget. A chic red or purple coffeemaker can add a fun, bold splash of color against your stainless steel oven, fridge, microwave, and dishwasher. Or you could go for the classic white metal for a lighter, cleaner look. At the end of the day, though, don’t sacrifice efficiency for aesthetic!

The walls for your home renovation

What color are your walls? Do they make the room feel light and welcoming or dark and drab? A good rule of thumb is to stay away from darker colors in smaller rooms, as they can feel a bit claustrophobic. Also, having the ceiling painted white is a good way to open up the space. If you don’t feel like surrounding yourself with beige, you can take a risk and pick a green, blue, or red tone for some fun. If you keep the trim and accents neutral, the bolder color won’t seem as overwhelming. It’s also suggested that you steer clear of busy wallpapers. Those can make the room feel much more cluttered, and over time are almost guaranteed to peel off.

Countertops and backsplash options for home rehabs

Again, if you’re surrounded by beige and cream colors, you might find yourself slowly going stir-crazy. It’s also not necessarily true that darker countertops will hide stains better. Hard water or grease stains often catch the light, and this will make them stand out even more against dark counters, so keep that in mind when you’re choosing. A tiled backsplash can make a big difference in terms of pulling the room together. Just be sure to color-coordinate.

Details: cabinets, lighting, storage, and more questions for bathroom and kitchen remodeling

Changing up little things around your kitchen can give it a completely different look. You don’t need to replace your shelving units and flooring for it to feel brand new. Décor such as curtains can really pull the room together, and changing out your lighting fixtures (and bulbs!) can as well. You might even consider swapping out your flip light switch for a dimmer – it’s inexpensive and easy to do, and will make your home feel much more modern. If your cabinets are boring you, a new coat of paint and some funky new knobs can be just the thing – or you could remove the doors entirely for some easy-access shelves. The possibilities are endless!

The furniture.
Last but not least, consider updating your table and chairs. Adding new seat cushions or a new tablecloth can be a fun upgrade without having to worry about buying a brand new set. And if you have any wiggle room, you could always consider changing the layout of the room and moving the furniture to different positions. Have fun with it!

Benefits of Kitchen Renovation

While some of us love interior design, to others, home renovation can seem like a chore instead of a hobby. If your current kitchen is in drastic need of a kitchen remodel, but you just can’t bring yourself to start planning for it, here are some points for you to keep in mind and reassure you that redoing your kitchen will be absolutely worth it.

Why you should renovate your kitchen

You’ll feel better about your home in general, not just your kitchen.

It’s not a very good feeling to dislike the look of your home. You live there, so you see it every day. In many ways, your home is a reflection of you, and many people would argue that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Even if you’re not a gourmet chef, preparing food and sharing it with your loved ones is always a special experience. With a fresh new kitchen, you’ll have more pride in your home – and maybe this will lead to inviting more friends over to share a few meals. What more do you need?

How important is Kitchen Safety

It will be safer and more comfortable for the whole family.

You don’t need to be a doctor or a restaurant worker to understand the importance of food safety, health, and hygiene. If your oven, fridge, or any appliance starts to fail, it’s important to repair or replace it quickly, or your risk eating undercooked or otherwise spoiled food. Additionally, if your flooring is out of date, peeling up, or heaving due to moisture, kids and older folks could easily slip and fall. Even storage is important to consider: would you keep your collection of steak knives in the same drawer as the kid’s plastic cutlery, and the strong cleaning chemicals in the same cabinet as cookies and crackers? Definitely not.

Great Design Ideas for Kitchen Remodel

The updated kitchen will be much easier to maintain organization and keep clean.

When you redo a room, you’ll often be so pleased with the outcome that you’ll be especially careful about keeping it clean. Eventually, as you get used to the new look, that honeymoon feeling will fade, and you won’t mind the few dust bunnies or countertop stains. However, updating your kitchen often brings with it a new sense of storage and organization. Once you de-clutter, you’ll have more counter space and floor space, which will make it easier to keep clean. If you redo your cabinets or pantry, you’ll find that keeping everything in its proper place has become almost second nature.

At the end of the day, the most important thing to keep in mind is the safety and comfort of your family, and this includes spending your money wisely. If your heart really longs for a showy, state-of-the-art kitchen, you might have to cut some corners to make ends meet, but since your home is unique to your family, you’re guaranteed to still love your new kitchen once you personalize it, even if it doesn’t look like the homes you see on TV. So try to have fun with it and keep an open mind. You won’t know how much you’ll love it until you finally have it!

How to insulate your basement with Spray Foam

Basements are a great place to hang around and have fun, but if your area is not properly sealed not only will it affect the temperature but also your bills!

Because they mistakenly believe that the soil outside does the insulating for them, many people don’t insulate their basement walls. Soil is not a good insulator and heat loss from your basement can account for over one third of the total heat loss from your home.

Done properly, basement spray foam insulation will not only reduce energy loss, but it will make your basement better, drier and much more comfortable.

The 2 best ways to insulate your basement is to hit both sides, interior and exterior.

For interior basement insulation, you can use any of the main types of home interior insulation, including fiber glass, rigid foam board and spray foam . Having a metal or wood frame of studs will help support the insulation and give you a place to attach drywall or wood.

You should install a moisture barrier over the bare wall before adding the stud frame and insulation. Add a sealed barrier over the installed frame and insulation before adding drywall and plywood.

For exterior basement insulation, you must excavate the soil around your home so you can get to the outside surfaces of your basement walls. Cover the entire surface of the wall with a layer of waterproof material before adding spray foam insulation. Metal flashing and a protective cover must be installed over the insulation to make sure moisture does not get between the basement and the insulation wall.

Before installing any kind of basement insulation, you need to fix any cracks, leaks or other moisture problems. Moisture can seriously damage your finished basement and the problem is far more difficult and expensive to fix after a basement is finished.

On the inside, moisture and vapour barriers will help reduce condensation, but they do not prevent water leaking through wall cracks. A basement waterproofing system is the best way to make sure you do not have moisture problems from any source.

On the outside, install a drainage system when insulating the wall. Again, waterproofing your basement will protect you from water damage.

How to take out Windows With Metal Frames

This week we are going to talk about the process of actually removing your aluminum windows in preparation for installing vinyl replacement windows. Let’s start with a horizontal sliding window, which is pretty common nationwide. There is going to be a sliding panel and a stationary panel. You want to remove the slider. All you do is slide the panel open, grab the sides of the panel with your hands, lift up and swing out. Under ideal circumstances, it would be that easy. There are small obstacles that can prevent you from lifting out the panel.

If this is an emergency window issue then call a local emergency glass contractor.

It prevents you from lifting out the panel because it’s wedged between the top of the window panel and the top of the upper track. If you can see that the window panel isn’t lifting all the way up in the top track, and the top rollers are not the reason, then you have to dig out that rubber piece. It’s usually at the point in the center, where the sliding panel and fixed panel overlap when the window is closed.

Take out the screen once you have the slider out. You can just pull it out. No need to be gentle since you’re throwing it away anyway. The last step is the fixed panel removal. There are a few different applications here. All of them will have a center vertical bar. It’s usually there to accept the locking mechanism on the slider, but not always. Look for screws holding this center bar in place. They will either be on the outside top and bottom, or you might find them on the side channel where the screen would go. Check the top and bottom corners.

Now, pull the fixed panel away from the side where it rests in the side channel. You might see clips for window balancers for double hung windows. What you are trying to do is slide the fixed panel open the same way that you did the sliding panel. You can put a screw driver into the side channel and pry the fixed panel away from the side.

Now, let’s go back to the vertical center bar and assume you didn’t find any screws to remove it. That means the fixed piece of glass doesn’t have a frame around it. It’s glazed in with either silicone, caulk, or double foam tape. You have to take out the glass, then cut the center bar out using a reciprocating saw. Usually, there will be “stops” on the outside to help keep the fixed piece of glass in place. There will be 4 of them, one on top, bottom, and each side. You should be able to just pry them out with a screw driver. You can go inside and cut away the adhesive holding the glass in the frame. Use a utility knife and cut between the glass and frame. Wear gloves, and be careful not to put your hand through the glass. Put a sheet or tarp outside and let the glass fall into it. You could also have a helper stand on a ladder above the glass and try grabbing the top edge as you cut it away from the frame. Have your helper also wear gloves. The reason for the ladder is that you want to be above the glass in case it has a little crack that you can’t see. As soon as you grab the glass, the crack will run across to the opposite edge, and suddenly you will find yourself trying to hold multiple pieces of glass at the same time. Being on the ladder, if the glass “runs”, you let go. After the glass is out, cut the bottom portion of the center bar flush with the bottom track. You can wiggle the bar back and forth to break the top screw free. You can apply this removal process to picture windows that have no sliding panel. Just treat it like you did the fixed portion, without having to remove a center bar.